Pass the Peas

 Last Saturday I created a page on facebook called "Pass the Peas." It's inspiration to answer the daily question, "What's for dinner?"

On Pass the Peas, you'll find dinner menu ideas, recipes, cooking tips, links, and pictures, too. 


You'll also find inspiration from the 81 member (and growing) community of women (and a few men) who prepare dinner for their families (almost) every single day.


If you're on facebook and you'd like to check out Pass the Peas, just type Pass the Peas in the searchbox on facebook. Then "like" the page. That's it and you're golden. Just like buttermilk cornbread.

WWMM

Salmon Patty Slider

I am so in awe of my mother. She made the best suppers every day for years and years and years. Two things we could always count on for supper: our beverage was always tea (Sweet - We didn't know it was served unsweetened.) and either cornbread  homemade in a cast iron skillet or biscuits from scratch. There was never anything instant and every meal was always delicious!

Salmon Love at First Bite

Some days I am stumped for what to fix. And I have to admit that lately meal planning has fallen to the wayside.

Tonight's dinner was inspired by WWMM ~ What Would Mother Make?

Salmon sliders

When Mother made salmon patties, it was usually accompanied by cottage fries and onions, LaSeur English peas and biscuits.
My meal tonight was: salmon patty sliders, purple hulled peas, and tater tots!


I never make salmon patties the same way twice.
However, the basic recipe calls for a can of drained salmon, diced onion, diced bell pepper (mine aren't so diced ~ no patience for dicing), one egg, 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs and salt/pepper to taste.
I dredge the patties in cornmeal then fry in a bit of canola oil, turning once.
I googled "salmon patties" and there are lots of variations.


Do you make salmon patties?


See this site from Alaska Seafood dot org for the health benefits of canned salmon and recipes.

Ten Things

My daughter, Audra, and I were talking about a book she read in which the main character, June Parker, sets out to accomplish a list of 20 things. The twist is the list is not hers. It belongs to a new acquaintance, Marissa, whom she met at a Weight Watcher's meeting. Inspired by her 100 pound weight loss, June offers Marissa a ride home. There is a car accident and Marissa is killed. In an attempt to move past her guilt and honor the young woman, June vows to achieve each of Marissa's goals of

"20 Things To Do By My 25th Birthday."

Inspired by the story line, I decided to make a list of:

"10 New Things to do this Summer." I made my list in random order as I thought of things I would like to accomplish this summer.

#1 Try 10 new recipes.

I have already made 2 new recipes, one of which I am sharing here with you. This weekend I wanted something desserty to accompany the strawberries and cream I had on hand.

I decided upon crepes. I used Alton Brown's recipe but, as I usually do, I tweaked it a bit.

But first let's look at the fish tacos I am craving lately. I have made fish tacos in the past but I am trying to perfect it. So far, this is my best effort.

Grilled Tilapia ~ seasoned with McCormick Grill Mate's Seafood Rub, Old Bay and a squeeze of lime on each fillet.
Corn tortillas ~ fried in a bit of oil in a non-stick pan, just until they get to the beginning stages of crispy.
Slaw mix ~ (Trust me. With fish, it's better than lettuce.)
Sauce ~ 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, shake of cumin, shake of red pepper, shake of onion powder, chopped cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime. I started with this and added more of everything for extra sauce.
Red onion ~ add to slaw mix
Cilantro ~ add to slaw mix
Lime ~ just squeeze away
Dress slaw with sauce. Make extra sauce 'cause it's just that good.
Corn tortilla, sauce, fish, slaw w/sauce, squeeze of lime. Make two at a time so you don't have to wait on your second one.

We ate this with a side of black bean and corn salad or salsa. Call it what you will. If you eat it with tortilla chips, it's salsa. As a side dish, it's salad. This is a recipe I got from my friend, Jen. It is my second new recipe for the summer. I'll ask Jen to share this recipe when I feature her in an upcoming blog post. 8 more to go!

Crepe~tastic!

Go here for Alton Brown's Crepe Recipe

My tweak: I used buttermilk in place of "milk." I always figure if "milk" is good, "buttermilk is better."

I filled the crepes with: cream cheese, powdered sugar and a good squeeze of lime. Lay crepe flat, spoon the cream cheese mixture down the middle, a line of whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Roll crepe and dust with powdered sugar. Top with more strawberries.

~A Bonus dish for Tasty Tuesday~

Blueberry Cobbler

Preheat oven to 350*
Put a stick of butter in your big cast iron skillet.

Let it melt in the oven while you do this:

Mix 1 cup of self-rising flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk (I use buttermilk.)

When butter is melted, gently pour batter into skillet. Add your fruit of choice to the batter.

DO NOT STIR.

I used frozen blueberries dusted with a bit of extra sugar.

Bake until golden brown...about 30 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Go HERE for more Tasty Tuesday recipes!

Good for You Pumpkin Granola Bars

Pumpkin Granola Bars

I still have a red light on sugar. That does not mean I am using the artificial stuff! However I have decided to use honey in small amounts.

Also, can I mention Stevia again? If you use it, too, let me know how, okay?

What about Agave nectar? Anyone use that? Guitar Girl uses a bit of Agave nectar on her South Beach pancakes!

Several weeks ago, as an experiment, I stopped using sugar. This includes artificial sweetener which I only consumed in a Diet Pepsi! However I never shared exactly why I was giving up the sweet stuff.

For many, many years I have had migraines. If I don't use a prescription medication when I feel one coming on, it lasts for 3 days. There are different triggers for migraines and I was wondering if sugar might be one of mine. I was headache free for several weeks from the start of giving up sugar. However when the pollen count went way up, sinus headaches triggered migraines. So my results are mixed. However there are so many other great reasons to avoid sugar and at the very least, cut back on it, that I intend to find other ways to sweeten baked goods. After all, I don't need sugar in my tea or lemonade when I can use an herbal sweetener (stevia). So that only leaves baked goods in which to find a good substitute.

I have tried 3 recipes so far. I'll share the Pumpkin Granola Bar recipe today. And I already gave you my recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Muffins.

The other recipe I have made is a chocolate cookie that does not have flour or sugar. The recipe called for splenda, but I subbed stevia. I was happy enough with the results that I have made them several times.

Guitar Girl raved over the granola bars and said they were even better than the Kashi brand!
Here's the recipe: *

3/4 c canned pumpkin

1 egg

1/4 c butter - soft

1/4 c honey

2 cups rolled oats ( I used old fashioned.)

1/2 c chopped nuts ( I used walnuts.)

1/4 c wheat germ

1/2 t ground cinnamon

Blend pumpkin, egg, butter and honey in a mixing bowl. Add the oats, nuts, wheat germ and cinnamon. Mix well. (I accidently added all ingredients at the same time, then mixed it.) Spread the mixture into a lighty greased jelly-roll pan. Bake @350 for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut into bars. For very crisp bars, remove from pan to wire rack and cool completely.

* The recipe I used above is one I tweaked from an adaptation from a recipe in Get the Sugar Out: 501 Simple Ways to Cut the Sugar out of any Diet by Ann Louise Gittleman. I found the "adapted" recipe online.

Above is the recipe I used. Mine is tweaked from the "adaptation" because I didn't have some of the ingredients. The other thing I will do differently next time is put the batter into a 13 x 9 dish instead of my jelly roll pan. It didn't spread completely to the corners so the edges got done faster than the rest. I'll let you know how that turns out. What I left out: 2 T of shredded, unsweetened coconut, 2 T molasses, 1 T. grated orange rind. Maybe that made the difference with the jelly roll pan.

What do you think? Is this a recipe you would try? Are you interested in finding healthier alternatives?

It's spring break and I'm keeping it simple!

Last night we had a simple supper of chicken tenders (Tyson from Sam's Club) tossed salad, biscuits (Pillsbury), and green beans sauteed with whole wheat orzo (Bella~Mella). It was simple yet tasty. But what made it even more enjoyable for me was using pretty serving pieces. The salad bowl is from Pier 1, but I got it for $2 at a thrift store last year! The Flamingo platter is fun with the perfect spot for honey mustard.

Tonight I am serving another simple supper: Crockpot potato soup and toasted cheese wedges. Even though it is in the 80's here, we like soup any time of the year.

Word Walk

The boys asked if I would take them to a local park today. As they tested their fitness in the fit circuit area of the park, I ran a little and walked a little. I had my mind on developing a new teaching topic. Knowing I had a little Gideon Bible in my van, I stopped and picked it up just to double check the wording on Philippians 4:8. As I continued my route of running/walking I memorized, "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy~ meditate on these things."

My learning style is visual but I find it easier to concentrate when I am walking/running. So that would be a combination of visual/kinesthetic.
Do you know how you learn best? Are you a visual, auditory, tactile or kinesthetic learner?
Do you know how you can use this to your advantage?

Kitchen Kudos - something new

Kitchen Kudos can be found in my sidebar. See it over there? No? Scroll down.
For the most part, my family loves my cooking. There was, however, a season of experimenting with low fat/no fat recipes when they were not my biggest fans! I repented and returned to the recipes of my upbringing. Truly, fat is funner!


Of course, I'm talking about the good fats. You know, avocado, olive oil, nuts & seeds...those fats. Although I do reserve bacon drippings for seasoning. Okay, I just busted myself with this picture. I'm frying catfish & hushpuppies. No good fats there!
Occasionally I have featured recipes in a blog post but I am going to try something new - (I'm copying Angela.) . I'm posting recipes in the sidebar. For a while. Until I tire. Which I may. Because I like change and the "new".

Why Kitchen Kudos? The recipes in Kitchen Kudos are those my mother taught me or are from other sources I like. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. I tweak a lot!


My mother, who taught me how to tweak, would be tickled to hear me say she taught me "recipes." She didn't teach recipes. She taught me how to cook. And tweak. She's a master tweaker. Mistress of Tweak?

Oh! Why Kitchen Kudos? It features food I like to cook in my kitchen and kudos means fame and renown resulting from an act or achievement.


Well I am famous in my kitchen and renown for quick & tasty. And keepin it real, sometimes I am just famous for burning popcorn on the stove (2 nights ago). Nevertheless I enjoy the kudos from my kiddos & One Fine Man on my efforts in the kitchen. Today I give you the recipe for My Favorite Cornbread. Tomorrow? Who knows...maybe my favorite roast beef.


If it sizzles when you pour the batter in the skillet, you've got a winner!

And we have a winner! Moist on the inside, crispy around the edges!

Check out the recipe in the sidebar. Do you make cornbread like I do? Do you add sugar to yours?

What's For Dinner? Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Jennifer at Smelling Coffee posted a recipe for ZESTY POTATO SOUP on Monday.
I'm trying out Jennifer's recipe the next time I need a quick and tasty potato soup.

But since I already had all the ingredients needed for my Southern Living Slow Cooker Potato Soup, that is What's For Dinner esta noche en mi casa. I guess it's just a potato soup kind of week!

Homestyle Potato Soup

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth

4 cups peeled, cubed baking potatos (about 2 lbs) I scrub mine & leave peels on.

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot

3 T butter, cut into small pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt/fresly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

7 T shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)


1. Place first 9 ingredients in 4 1/2 quart slow cooker; stir well. Cover w/lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 4 - 5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Increase to high-heat setting.

Just after adding the first 9 ingredients (above)

Ready for the flour/milk addition (left)~ 25 minutes to thicken up (right)
2. Place flour in a bowl; gradually add milk, stirring w/a whisk until well blended. Stir into soup. Cook, uncovered, 25 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle w/cheese and add more cracked pepper, if desired.

Soup's On!

Behold ~ The Beauty of Soup!
The picture up top is from the Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook - 123 Luscious Recipes to Come Home To

Florida Fall, Ya'll!

It's a Florida Fall, ya'll! That means the temperature really dipped here on the coast of the sunshine state. We had lows this afternoon in the high 70's!


I adjusted the AC and put on a sweater. Just kidding about the sweater part.
Instead of digging out the winter clothes, shirts with sleeves, I made a fresh apple cake. I stirred up the ingredients. Good things like apples, cinnamon, toasted pecans, and, of course, the staples in baking-oil, flour, sugar, eggs. Here it is in the 9 x 13.







And out of the oven in all of its cinnamon-y, apple-y, pecan-y goodness!
You can top this cake with a caramel glaze or eat it as is.

We inhaled it, I mean ate it, as is.






24 hours later-nothing but the crumbs! Seriously,
24 hours later...I don't joke about cake.


'Cause, really, nothing says Fall in Florida like an apple cake. Now excuse me while I trade my capris for some long pants-I feel a chill in the air.